changing to carbon forks.............

mickefc
mickefc Posts: 2
edited June 2008 in Road beginners
hello all,
i have a fairly new scott speedster s60 FB, which i use for a daily 10 mile commute and general weekend cycling merriment. i'm considering changing the forks for some carbon ones and was wondering if any of you think this is worth it (have seen some on ebay for about £40) and if so should i have a pop at doing it myself or get an expert at my LBS to do it????

any help much appreciated.

Comments

  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Depends on the steerer, if its alloy then should be a pretty easy job but if its carbon, there are a lot of things that can go wrong so I would recommend taking it to lbs. I got all carbon forks off ebay for around £40, fitted for £30, have been great so far.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    Why should carbon be any more "difficult" than alu?
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    You need a special type of blade to saw carbon - can splinter very easily. Also the dust is dangerous if you inhale it.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    Fine toothed saw surely does the job - and there ain't that much dust!
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    I'll take your word for it - sounded a bit tricky when I looked into it, then again I don't have a workbench / vice etc so would struggle with alloy let alone carbon!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • System_1
    System_1 Posts: 513
    Hang on, you basically paid £30 to have your steerer cut down!!! My LBS did it for nowt.

    Swapping forks is dead easy assuming they aren't the threaded type. Take off the stem and they fall out themselves, put the new ones in and jobs a good un. The only thing you'll need to do is cut the steerer to the correct length but assuming you have a decent hacksaw and can cut a straight line it's easy enough. If it's a carbon steerer put a piece of masking tape over the area you are cutting which will help get a straight line and stop it from splintering and developing sharp edges. Even if you don't have the confidence to do it yourself just mark the steerer at the point you need it cut and your LBS will do it for peanuts.

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